1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system, management method, and management apparatus, appropriate for application in, for example, a storage system where a plurality of host apparatus, storage apparatus, and management apparatus managing the apparatus are connected.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, computer systems are implemented where host apparatus and storage apparatus are connected to a network so that data managed by the host apparatus is transmitted and received via the network, and the data is stored on a hard disc within the storage apparatus.
In recent years, from the point of view of compliance etc., it has been necessary to retain even data that is used infrequently for legally defined periods. To this end, this kind of infrequently used data is moved to another storage apparatus and saved.
As this kind of computer system, for example, in patent document 1, a storage system is proposed, for example, in patent document 1, for a computer system where a plurality of storage apparatus each having at least one volume and the volumes each of the storage apparatus are in possession of are managed virtually in a collective manner. Attribute information for each volume is then managed, and designated transfer source volumes are then relocated at instructed storage tiers between pluralities of storage tiers respectively generated based on a plurality of preset policies and volume attribute information.
Further, for example, in patent document 2, a storage system is proposed where data sent from the host apparatus is written to an empty region of a volume made to correlate to a saving period in order from the top, and the region written with the data is made to be a write-inhibit region.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006-099748.
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2006-215954.
However, in the computer system described above, the number of years data handled by applications at host apparatus is to be saved for is inputted manually at each respective apparatus. It is therefore necessary for an administrator of the computer system to confirm setting information for connection conditions and number of years to be saved information etc. at each respective apparatus in the event of, for example, confirming storage apparatus storing application data of the host apparatus or in the event of confirming the number of years application of host apparatus is to be saved for, which makes the administrative work of the administrator substantial.
This means that the administrative work of the administrator increases more and more as the scale of the computer system is increased by connecting a large number of host apparatus, storage apparatus, and other apparatus.
The present invention therefore proposes a storage system, management method and management apparatus taking into consideration the above points where an administrator can manage and acquire information of each apparatus in a straightforward manner.